There are hundreds of dental clinics in Lucknow, and each of them proudly proclaims that it is the "very best." We have here jotted down some factors to help you find a really good treatment center.
Most Indians (and in particular, those in Lucknow) have a rather lackadaisical approach to their oral hygiene. The attitude is generally like this: "Oh, I have a toothache." "Let me just pop a painkiller!" In spite of the presence of so many dental clinics across the city, most people do not go for check-ups until their dental health has been seriously compromised.While it’s true that not all dental hospitals in Lucknow are equally good,finding a well-facilitated local clinic is not a particularly tough ask either. Here’s how you can search for the best dental clinic over here:
- Ask for referrals – Having a tooth or gum problem is nothing to be ashamed of. Get over this mental block (which is, sadly, too common) and ask your friends, colleagues, neighbors, and/or other acquaintances whether they happen to know of a reliable dental clinic in Lucknow. There is nothing like getting first-hand information from other people—after all, it's word-of-mouth publicity!
- Look on the web – Ah, internet – the information database on almost anything under the sun. Nearly every leading dental clinic, including pediatric dentistry centers, has its own dedicated website. You can browse through them, check out the facilities and amenities, create a shortlist, and get in touch with them. If a clinic does not have a website, take it as an indication that it is, well, not quite keeping up with the times.
- Check the facilities –Does the dental and gum care clinic two blocks from home only have check-up facilities, following which long prescriptions are written out? If yes, you will have to look beyond that one. The facility you finally zero in on should offer a holistic range of oral treatment services (including surgeries)—right from dental restorations and root canal treatments to treatment of problems like gum bleeding and baby bottle tooth decay. Think of it like this: You need to look for a one-stop dental clinic in Lucknow.
- Are diagnostic services available? – This is basically an extension of the previous point. In addition to all types of contemporary dental treatment service facilities, a good clinic should also have a state-of-the-art infrastructure for diagnostic/confirmatory tests and scans. These include procedures like dental x-rays, root scans, and gum examinations. Having to run to a separate diagnostic lab to get tests done would be decidedly inconvenient.
- Track record – It’s not that a newly established Lucknow dental clinic cannot offer high-end treatment services. However, when it comes to something as valuable as your teeth, it is best to put your trust in a clinic that has a long track record of success. Make a list of the tooth and gum treatment hospitals that have been operating in the City of Joy for at least a couple of years. Interact with their representatives and decide which one will be the best.
- Qualification of the doctors –Do not let the suave behavior of receptionists and the glitzy setup of a clinic sway you. You need to find out in detail about the proficiency of the dentists in Lucknow who are available for consultation there. If you wish to be treated by a particular doctor, check the clinics where he or she sees patients and set up an appointment accordingly. One of the key reasons for the popularity of the top dental clinics in Lucknow is the presence of the leading oral surgeons there.
- Proximity is a factor – Not perhaps the most important one, but you cannot ignore it. For instance, if you have a heavy-impact fall and get a tooth fracture at a late hour, you cannot very well go through a two-hour taxi ride to arrive at the clinic of your choice. Look for oral treatment centers that are located within a few kilometers of your home. This would minimize the time required for commuting there and would help treatments start on time too.
- General cleanliness and sanitation – This feature is of paramount importance, and you won’t get an idea about it until you visit a dental clinic once. A hospital might be present for many years and have several renowned dentists in attendance, but if its sanitation standards are poor, you would do well to keep away from it. The risks of tooth and gum infections increase manifold if the rooms and general setup of a clinic are rather unclean. If you need to go for dental surgery, inquire about whether the surgical tools are properly sterilized or not.
- Option to fix appointments online – The lame excuse: “I am too busy to go for a dental check-up” would go for a toss, provided you select a Lucknow dental clinic where appointments can be set up online. Make sure that you can schedule consultation sessions with dentists directly from the website of the clinic you have chosen. There should be provisions for specifying the precise time of the appointment as well. You would definitely not want to wait in a queue when your teeth are hurting!
- Pediatric dentistry is a separate specialization – As are periodontology and orthodontics. You need to look up a dental treatment clinic in Lucknow that has provisions to give you the precise type of oral support that you require. If you are looking to take your child for a dental checkup, search for "pediatric dental clinics" instead of just "dental clinics."
- Staff demeanor – Would you like to go for regular visits to a place where there are irritated frowns on the faces of everyone? We guess not, and although this has nothing to do with the quality of dental treatment provided, the prospect of visiting a dental clinic where the staff members are nice and friendly is definitely better. Going for a dentist visit is something children, in particular, are terrified of. The personnel at a good clinic can put the little patients at ease.
- Look for references; any reputable gum and dental clinic in Lucknow will have patient testimonials on their websites - While you should, of course, go through them, there remains the chance that most of these testimonials have been written by, well, the doctors or other clinic staff themselves. Request the contact information of a couple of previous patients and contact them to determine whether the clinic's services are satisfactory. Request for recent patient details—what the clinic did three years ago does not matter now!
- Multiple payment options: If you choose a dental treatment clinic that accepts only cash payments, that: a) can be inconvenient for you, and b) would be a sign that the clinic is not quite customer-oriented. Any reputed clinic in the city would accept fees and payments in cash, cards (debit and credit), and in certain cases, even via online money transfer. The more payment options that are available, the easier it will be for you to transact with the clinic in question.
- Affordability: There is a reason why we have brought up this point last. When the well-being of your teeth and gums is at stake, you cannot possibly (or at least, should not) be obsessed with finding the cheapest possible dental treatment solutions. What you can do is compare the charges for similar treatment procedures (say, dental scaling) at 3–4 separate clinics. Choose the one that seems to offer services at an affordable rate and does not compromise on its service quality in any way.
While a dental clinic would, of course, have scheduled working hours, you should have the option of contacting your dentist at any time (there is no saying when a dental emergency might crop up). You should also make sure that your chosen clinic and the dentists there have the necessary licenses to operate professionally in the city.Finding the most suitable Best Dental Clinic in Lucknow is no rocket science – a little bit of research would help you find out the details of the best places.